I can practically hear sighing through the screen. A Christmas book? In March? I know what some of you are thinking—didn’t we just get through this holiday? While yes, it’s only been a few months since carols were overtaking every store sound system, publishers are already pointing to their releases for the second half of the year, and that means Christmas books are on their way. Fortunately for me, holiday reads mean comfort, and any holiday will do, no matter the time of year—Thanksgiving, Halloween, Arbor Day. Whatever, whenever.
Today I’m waiting for…
From the publisher:
In small-town England, two booksellers facing tough times decide to spread some Christmas cheer through the magic of anonymous book deliveries in this uplifting holiday tale for book lovers everywhere.
Nora and her husband, Simon, have run the beautiful oak-beamed book shop in their small British village for thirty years. But times are tough and the shop is under threat of closure–this Christmas season will really decide their fate. When an elderly man visits the store and buys the one book they’ve never been able to sell, saying it’s the perfect gift for his sick grandson, it gives Nora an idea. She and Simon will send out books to those feeling down this Christmas. Maybe they can’t save their bookstore, but at least they’ll have one final chance to lift people’s spirits through the power of reading.
After gathering nominations online, Nora and Simon quietly deliver books to six residents of the village in need of some festive cheer, including a single dad of twins who is working hard to make ends meet, a teenage boy grieving for his big sister, a local Member of Parliament who is battling depression, and a teacher who’s newly retired and living on her own. As the town prepares for a white Christmas, the books begin to give the recipients hope, one by one. But with the future of the bookshop still up in the air, Nora and Simon will need a Christmas miracle–or perhaps a little help from the people whose lives they’ve touched–to find a happy ending of their own…
Title: Christmas by the Book
Author: Anne Marie Ryan
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Expected Publication: October 12, 2021
Classification: General Fiction
Note: Can’t Wait Wednesday is a feature hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, so be sure to check out her weekly post to find other participants. Fair warning: don’t be surprised if you come away with an expanded TBR pile.
Plucked from the Stacks 
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